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Exercise PerformanceNCT02951923

The Effect of 8-weeks of Bovine Colostrum and Soy Protein Supplementation in Rugby Players

A study testing Bovine Colostrum and Soy in people with Exercise Performance and Body Composition, run by University of Saskatchewan at 1 site in Canada.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Bovine colostrum is the milk produced by cows immediately after calving. It contains high levels of proteins that improve immune protection and may act to prevent colds. During intense training, athletes often have compromised immune function. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Exercise Performance, Body Composition
What is being tested?
Bovine Colostrum and Soy
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
24 participants
Where
1 siteCanada
Study dates
Dec 2014to Aug 2015
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • active rugby players

Who cannot join

  • Not taking nutritional supplements within one month of the study
  • Answered "yes" to a physical activity readiness questionnaire indicating health problems that could be exacerbated with physical activity

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Canada1 site
  • College of Kinesiology, University of Saskatchewan

    Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5B2

Other trials in Canada

About this study

Official title: The Effect of 8-weeks of Bovine Colostrum and Soy Protein Supplementation on Fitness, Muscle Mass, Inflammation and Immune Function During Intense Training in Rugby Players

Bovine colostrum is the milk produced by cows immediately after calving. It contains high levels of proteins that improve immune protection and may act to prevent colds. During intense training, athletes often have compromised immune function. This may be especially true in club-level rugby players who abruptly start high intensity training in the spring in preparation for their competitive season. Our study will assess the effects of supplementing these players with bovine colostrum during this intense training. Thirty-six players will be recruited; half will consume colostrum during the 8 weeks of early-season training and half soy protein. The investigators predict the bovine colostrum supplement will improve health during the training and increase fitness levels.

Read the detailed description

Bovine colostrum is the first milk secreted by cows after calving. Colostrum is high in protein and contains a number of bioactive substances including growth and antimicrobial factors. Antimicrobial factors in bovine colostrum include immunoglobulin and a variety of other less specific antimicrobial proteins and peptides. Immunoglobulin and other antimicrobials are important for immune system function. This is important to athletes because intense exercise training can compromise the immune system; therefore bovine colostrum has potential to improve exercise performance by preventing immune system dysfunction that is common during periods of heavy exercise training .

Preliminary studies of colostrum supplementation show its potential for increasing human exercise performance. The mechanism through which colostrum acts to benefit performance remains unclear. Similarly, further studies are required to elucidate colostrum-induced effects in individuals of different ages and levels/intensity of physical activity.

The main growth factor in bovine colostrum is insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). Bovine colostrum supplementation in young individuals increased IGF-1 levels. Insulin-like growth factor-1 stimulates growth of muscle tissue and is important in maintaining muscle mass and function in adults.

Bovine colostrum supplementation has been shown to increase lean tissue (muscle mass) in younger individuals. Eight to 12 weeks of bovine colostrum supplementation during a resistance training program increased lean tissue mass by 1.5 to 2 kg compared to increases of 0 to 1.2 kg while on whey protein supplementation. We have also recently shown that bovine colostrum supplementation increases muscular strength compared to similar amounts of supplementation with whey protein in men and women over 50y.

Examining the effects of colostrum in rugby players presents a unique scientific opportunity because of the nature of their training regime. Rugby players' early season workouts are the most stressful training sessions of the season (after the winter break they must condition quickly for the start of the season with few if any pre-season games and their workouts involve repeated sprint activity in addition to weight training). Rugby players would be most susceptible to overtraining and immune system depression during this time of the year. Bovine colostrum with its high levels of anti-microbials and other bioactive factors may be beneficial to mitigate the deleterious effects of early, high intensity training.

The objective of the proposed internship study is to determine the effects of 8 weeks of bovine colostrum supplementation, compared to soy protein supplementation in rugby players during early season training.

Being tested
Bovine Colostrum, Soy

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Bovine ColostrumDietary supplement

    Bovine colostrum vs. soy during rugby training

  • SoyDietary supplement

Study groups in NCT02951923
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Bovine colostrumExperimental8 weeks of Bovine colostrum power, 60g per day
Receives: Dietary Supplement: Bovine Colostrum
Soy powderActive comparator8 weeks of Soy powder, 60g per day
Receives: Dietary Supplement: Soy

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change in lean tissue mass

    Measured: baseline, 8 weeks

  2. Change in leg press strength

    Measured: baseline, 8 weeks

  3. Change in bench press strength

    Measured: baseline, 8 weeks

  4. Change in aerobic capacity as predicted by the Leger shuttle run test

    Measured: baseline, 8 weeks

  5. Change in leg power as assessed by vertical jump height

    Measured: baseline, 8 weeks

Secondary outcomes (6)
  1. Change in salivary immunoglobulin A

    Measured: baseline, 8 weeks

  2. Change in salivary interleukin 6

    Measured: baseline, 8 weeks

  3. Change in salivary interleukin 1-beta

    Measured: baseline, 8 weeks

  4. Change in salivary c-reactive protein

    Measured: baseline, 8 weeks

  5. Incidence of upper respiratory tract infections

    Measured: Up to 8 weeks

  6. Adverse events

    Measured: Up to 8 weeks

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted1 Nov 2016 (estimated)
  2. Study startDec 2014
  3. Primary completionAug 2015
  4. Study completionAug 2015

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Triple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
24 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02951923
Sponsor's protocol ID
BIO14-81
Status last verified
Oct 2016
First submitted
1 Dec 2014
Last updated
1 Nov 2016
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Publications

  • Duff WR, Chilibeck PD, Rooke JJ, Kaviani M, Krentz JR, Haines DM. The effect of bovine colostrum supplementation in older adults during resistance training. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2014 Jun;24(3):276-85. doi: 10.1123/ijsnem.2013-0182. Epub 2013 Nov 25.

    PubMed 24281841

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Bovine Colostrum and Soy in people with Exercise Performance and Body Composition, run by University of Saskatchewan at 1 site in Canada.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 1 Nov 2016. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Canada. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change in lean tissue mass (time frame: baseline, 8 weeks). The study lists 5 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT02951923, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 1 Nov 2016.

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